Current EV market compared to Tesla?

I just moved from a Model S to an Audi E-Tron GT. Previously had a 2021 Model 3 and Cybertruck. Other competitors would be the BMW i4 line, Mercedes EQS line, Lucid, Rivian and Hyundai. In my opinion as an EV enthusiast, Tesla is still top of the pack for technology and reliability, as well as aftermarket support/mods. They have been around the longest and mostly worked the kinks out of their vehicles. No one can touch their FSD. With that said, there are superior EVs in terms of over all quality. The Audi GT is head and shoulders above any Tesla I have ever driven in terms of build quality and quality of materials. The Audi is rock solid, the cabin is quieter, everything feels solid and luxurious. The suspension and handling are better, the car drives smoother. Range is actually close to my 2024 Model S - the Tessie app would quote me 270-280 miles of “real world” range while the car would show 365 at 100%. The Audi shows 270 at 100% and get that number or slightly more. Performance wise, Tesla mostly wins out again. I had to do a MapEV tune for $2600 in my Audi to get the same performance numbers as my Model S. Even a $50,000 Model 3 Performance will smoke most EVs and ICE cars. To match a Plaid, you need to spend $200,000 on a Porsche Taycan GT. I think Tesla value is still top of the heap, but Lucid may be catching up on tech and features soon once they work out the bugs with their software. They have some crazy performance on their cars and own the crown for most range. I test drove one and it was nicer inside than my S, but handled like a limousine and looked like an old man’s Buick. Not my cup of tea. I hope my Audi GT stays reliable for a long time because I have not yet driven a car, Tesla or otherwise, that is nicer or more comfortable and enjoyable to drive. Once you try out some of the premium brands products, Teslas seem cheap inside and more “toyish”.

I'm not even going to mention autonomy/FSD because no other automaker has this working. Sure there are things like Supercruise and Bluecruise but they are practically worthless and worse than the base Autopilot system Tesla used to include... for the last 10 years. Rivian is moving the fastest if we look at non-Tesla options and Nvidia's efforts will lead to other automakers having similar features in the coming years... but they don't have the experience and massive datasets that Tesla has so catching up will take a while. GM offers the largest variety of vehicles with the most range for the price. But still lacking in software quality and a usable mobile app (and then they have the audacity to paywall some of the features - that don't work anyway). And Tesla really does have some things figured out - phone as a key, sharing vehicles with other people, etc. That's just good quality of life stuff. I am upset they discontinued the BrightDrop van - this was a really great vehicle for last mile delivery and small businesses in the trades. Even available in AWD and from the same vendor they likely get the rest of their fleet from. Rivian is going to have a future in EVs in the US. The R2 will be phenomenal. Modern tech, the closest experience to what Tesla offers... in one of the hottest segments and price points in the market. We'll just have to wait until the more affordable versions are available. Lucid is a joke. Beautiful vehicles inside and out and great materials in the places that matter. Innovative and efficient packaging and brilliant design. BUT the hardware reliability and software experience is... worse than GM... and the vehicles cost 3x as much so there is no excuse. The market for "very premium" EVs is small. The Tesla S/X going away might help Lucid a little because their main competitor is gone, but let's face it... sales of those vehicles were low anyway. Ford is... Ford. The Mach-E is actually good in its latest iterations. People tend to really like it once they get one. It just doesn't really have a long term future. They made the right call by killing the Lightning... when the Cybertruck, R1T, Silverado EV, and Sierra EV exist, a gas F-150 with an EV drivetrain stuffed into it is just not competitive. Their new smaller platform will be a huge improvement in long term viability. How are they doing that? Well, they're designing it from the ground up using what they've learned from... Tesla's playbook. Hyundai and Kia make nice vehicles that have good charging speeds but their resale value is even worse than other EVs and the handling of the ICCU issue has been AWFUL. Even after software updates and even the newest model years are having the same exact problems and the parts take forever to get. I would not want one of these out of warranty. European EVs, don't know much about them as they do not interest me at all. Their past efforts have been pretty bad but I think their latest iterations are VERY nice and far more reliable than Lucid. So if I had to pick between a premium Euro EV and a Lucid, well for sure I'd check out BMW or MB. VW/Audi has been asleep at the wheel for a while now and out of touch with what American buyers want and what to price their vehicles at. Nissan... well the first gen Leaf had horrible batteries, we all know that. The refreshed Leaf should have had liquid-cooled batteries and CCS charging port but no, they stuck with the very outdated setup until just last year. The new/second gen Leaf is a massive improvement over the original one... but I went to my nearby Nissan dealer the other day and they seem to think they have the best car in the world because they aren't dealing on it. You can get an Equinox EV AWD for the same price as a Leaf. So, why would anyone want a leaf? Plus in general Nissan reeks of cost cutting across their entire lineup. The J1772+NACS dual port setup on the new Leaf is a joke. And they killed the Ariya because while its specs were OK when they announced it, by the time it was released, the specs were already outdated before the first one was ever sold. Plus horrible software! I think that about covers it?

European EVs are really really good. Check out Polestar 3/4 as an example. Yes, if FsD is a huge factor, then nothing will be the same. But thy stir and feel so much better. I’d also take a second look at Lucid. On fractions they made software strides. It’s actually pretty stable.

I’m super interested to see Rivian’s Gen 3 hardware at some point this year, I know it won’t beat FSD but if it’s solid I may take a look at the R2

Polestar is not a European EV, it is a Chinese EV. That still has more software bugs than GM, Ford, and Rivian put together.

That’s not true at all. Polestar is a Swedish brand. But yes, 50% is owned by Geely but Polestar is mostly independent. Polestar 4 is based on a Chinese car, but 3 is Volvo SPA platform that’s Swedish… also polestar 5/6/7 is all in house designs, actually in UK. And software has gotten way better. It even true about Current state.

Having had multiple Tesla is exponentially better dollar for dollar. Which that wasn’t the case but currently is.

rivian is the only other manufacturer i would consider regarding their software stack and pedigree

The lightning is actually a killer truck, just not profitable. Big difference in discussing it vs the current line up. I have a lightning and will be getting a cybertruck as well. But some of its greatest strengths are that it’s a Frankenstein actually. And comparatively its design makes it much more family friendly and work friendly than any other option for now

>I'm not even going to mention autonomy/FSD because no other automaker has this working. Ok but this is debatable. FSD works great WHEN it works. Reports are that Rivian and Ford and more, and multiple Chinese automakers are not far behind in terms of hands-free autonomy offerings (FSD still requires driver monitoring and intervention). But FSD doesn't really work reliably in anything but perfect California whether thanks to relying entirely on cameras that get immediately blocked by rain, dirt - and condensation! Other automakers may not have as good of software yet, but for most of them the cars themselves have superior hardware due to having a variety of sensors including radar, sonar, etc in addition to cameras. They have room to improve the software, but Tesla hardware caps its usefulness to "convenient sometimes when available, depending on the current subscription deal offered".

For the average person, pretty much every other major manufacturer has caught up with some model or another at appropriate price points. Lucid and Hyundai/Kia have mostly caught up in the battery/power train department. Tesla's build quality used to be shit but they seem to have caught up. If you're a huge fan of the "touch screen does all" way of doing things then pretty much nobody. As far as automated driving, Mercedes-Benz is ahead of Tesla, they just don't toss it around as something more than it is like Tesla does.

I just got on the Tesla train and didn’t even consider any other EV. I didn’t do it to get into EV though. I’ve really enjoyed BYD in other counties for pure EV tech but that’s not an option in the US yet.

Hyundai and Kia EVs look great but the ICCU problems still spook me. Rivian is building up and the R2 looks fantastic. I have a 2023 Model 3 and I think an R2 or R1S is going to be my next vehicle whenever I need a replacement.

Not sure about MB automated driving comment, I drove a 5 series with it when it came out and a) it only worked on highways at low speeds, following other vehicles b) didn’t work on surface streets c) shut off or didn’t work in bad weather or night time. My 2024 MS with HW4 works fantastic, I use it 90% of the time, it’s what makes a Tesla IMO. Maybe the MB system is better now. Tesla is still better on efficiency than other similar models at a M3 or MY price point. Lucid is much more expensive but more efficient.

Mercedes-Benz is the only automaker who's got verified Level 3 ADAS in select areas. FSD, despite the hype is still just a Level 2 ADAS. If we're talking the lofty ambitions of autonomy. Waymo is absurdly ahead of Tesla on that one based on their actual rollout of autonomous vehicles. Tesla is probably about 3 years away at best to getting where Waymo is at.

others already beat the autonomy FSD wise, even Rivian one is getting close at much faster rate than it should, and Gen3 should already be miles better lol

I'm thinking about selling my Model X and switching over to a Kia EV9.

I have a 2022 Model Y base. If I upgraded I would get a Zeekr 7X Long range RWD. Similar ballpark pricewise as new model Y with a couple of options boxes ticked. 100 kWh battery, 615 km WLTP range, 800v fast charging (10%-80% in 16mins), V2L, Massaging frount row seats, shade to cover glass roof, v2l, 320 kW motor (RWD tesla is something like 220 kW), 2000kg towing (vs 1600kg for the model y).

Lol

Wow, excellent answer and couldn't have said it better myself

I have a 2025 MB EQE and a 2023 Tesla MY LR. MB is no where near Tesla when it comes to FSD/autopilot. Tesla can go anywhere without any geofencing or limitations on when FSD can be used/turned on. MB vehicles have limitations on where it can go and its functionality. Tesla does not have that limitation. And Waymo is not in the same category as you cannot go buy a car with Waymo technology. It is geofenced also, so not even close to what Tesla can do. Not sure where you are getting your info from. Assume you have not driven a MB and Tesla with their version of autopilot/FSD.

your remarks do not reflect my experience with FSD. Yesterday, FSD drove in fog in rural Alabama, last week, heavy rain in Georgia. You can find Youtube videos of FSD in snow. FSD is supervised but having to take control is rare and often when other drivers are motioning for you to go out of turn.

How often do you take it in for service to get the front camera disassembled and cleaned? How do you keep the back and side cameras clean? Lot's of Tesla models came with radar etc, just not any with HW4. Hopefully HW5 will have more than just cameras. I was literally driving in perfect weather yesterday and it panicked and made me take over when driving into the sun because the glare refracting on the condensation trapped in the front camera housing blocked its vision. I was like "car, this is exactly when I want you to take over!" It does still work most of the time, although with the scary "increased attention cameras blocked" warnings that are rarely absent. Backing up and parking is not possible without getting out to clean the rear camera by hand. It's not a problem with my car, unless yours has a camera cleaning squirter and mine is broken. It's just not designed to take into account that roads have dirt and mud. What makes this even more frustrating is washing the car is one of my wife's self-care activities, she does it weekly and keeps it spotless. Our roads are not particularly dirty, but we do live in a wet and humid place.

The new range extended Ford pickups are going to absolutely dominate. I want one. Not sure why anyone would buy a cybetruck lol. I cannot imagine there being any crossover between any f150 buyer and a cyber truck buyer. Like either you want a pickup truck or a star trek shuttlecraft

I've had it cleaned once. The car was manufactured in July of 2025 and I got it in December, had Tesla clean the windshield on Dec 31. It drives me in and out of Atlanta daily, 64 miles round trip. No camera cleaning on mine either. About every 2 weeks I take it to a touch-free carwash and I do clean the outside of windshield about once a week. I've only specifically cleaned the fender and rear camera once. So yeah, maybe your roads are dirtier than we have in Georgia, but we do have humidity and dirt.

I also have a 22 M3LR. I subscribe to FSD. FSD is pretty good on HW3. In terms of competition, my car beats every other car out there other than Tesla HW4 cars. No other gas or EVs even come close. Rivian has a crude version of FSD, but currently no one else does. Now if you want a car as sophisticated as a gas lawnmower, the field is wide open.

Too many manufacturers want to stick to outdated ideas. The dealer networks need to be abolished. And relying on repairs and service I believe is causing them to make EVs that are not built to last.

If lucid could get software like Tesla it would be a home run. Their cars look so nice interior wise

Why do you think the original Chevy Bolt EV required the entire front end to be removed to change the headlights? GM was throwing dealers a bone so that they could profit off of servicing it SOMEHOW.

Not a single car in the US beats Tesla's current FSD. Not one. I've heard BYD has a system that's as good or maybe even slightly better but chances are it will never set foot in the US, so in the US, we go with what's available, and at the moment, nothing comes even close to Tesla.

Good grief... >Mercedes-Benz is the only automaker who's got verified Level 3 ADAS in select areas. Its L3 is restricted to a few tiny areas, and does not work above 40mph. And IMO, Tesla's FSD is pretty much L3, just without the name because Tesla doesn't want the liability. I know it's far from perfect, just like all human drivers, but it's still way ahead of what anyone else has in the US. And I say this as someone who's not a fan of Tesla as a company, or their CEO. But there's no denying that FSD is an excellent system.

>Even a $50,000 Model 3 Performance will smoke most EVs and ICE cars.  A regular Model Y AWD will smoke most EVs and ICE cars short of exotics. Car & Driver clocked 0-60 in 3.9 seconds.

Tesla has one other thing vs Ford, Hyundai, Kia and GM - the buying experience. I spent two months dealing with Ford trying to buy Mach-E at their advertised price, the experience was horrendous, like watching a YouTube clip “10 tricks car dealers do to have you in the butt”. Ordered Tesla just not to talk to another redneck scumbag.